February 27 African American historical events

* Today in Black History – February 27 *

**********************************************************
“Once a year we go through the charade of February being ‘Black
History Month.’ Black History Month needs to be a 12-MONTH THING.
When we all learn about our history, about how much we’ve
accomplished while being handicapped with RACISM, it can only
inspire us to greater heights, knowing we’re on the giant shoulders
of our ANCESTORS.” Subscribe to the Munirah Chronicle and receive
Black Facts every day of the year.
To SUBSCRIBE send E-mail to: <[log in to unmask]>
In the E-mail body place: Subscribe Munirah Your FULL Name
**********************************************************

1844 – The Dominican Republic gains its independence from Haiti, which
had occupied the whole island of Hispaniola since 1822. Prior
to Haitian rule, France had administered the eastern part of
the island starting in 1795, when Spain ceded the territory to
France. The leader of Dominican independence against Haiti
was Juan Pablo Duarte.

1869 – John Willis Menard, the first African American elected to
Congress (1868) is never seated. When he pleads his own
case before the House of Representatives, he becomes the first
African American to speak on the floor of the House.

1872 – Charlotte Ray graduates from Howard Law School in Washington,
DC. She will become the first African American woman lawyer
in the United States and the third woman admitted to the bar
to practice law (April 23, 1872).

1897 – Marian Anderson is born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She
will become the first modern African American to win
international renown as an opera singer and will be
considered one of the great operatic voices of the
century. Singing at a time of great social upheaval for
African Americans, Anderson’s professional career will
contain many operatic and civil rights milestones and
recognition, including Kennedy Center Honors in 1978. The
Kennedy Center will hold a gala in observance of the 100th
anniversary of her birth in 1997. Many sources, including
the “Encyclopedia Britannica” and “Africana” have her
birth year as 1902 or 1900. In a Kennedy Center interview
with her nephew (with whom she lived until her death), he
indicated that when she became the first African American to
sing a principal role with the Metropolitan Opera, her
publicist thought her age should be reduced by five years.
The media therefore, establishes her birth year erroneously
as 1902.

1942 – Charlayne Hunter (later Gault) is born in Due West, South
Carolina. One of the first students to integrate the
University of Georgia, she will become a print and broadcast
journalist and win two Emmy awards for her work on public
TV’s “The MacNeil/Lehrer News-Hour.”

1961 – James Ager Worthy is born in Gastonia, North Carolina. A
standout at the University of North Carolina, the 6 ft 9 in
(2.06 m) small forward will share College Player of the Year
honors en route to leading the Tar Heels to the 1982 NCAA
Championship. He will be named the tournament’s Most
Outstanding Player, and will be the #1 pick of the 1982 NBA
draft of the reigning NBA Champion Los Angeles Lakers. He will
be named one of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History. “Big
Game James” will be a seven-time NBA All-Star, three-time NBA
champion (1985, 1987, 1988) and the 1988 NBA Finals MVP. He
will retire as a player after the 1993-1994 season. He will
rank sixth all-time in Lakers team scoring (16,320), third all-
time in team steals (1,041) and seventh all-time in team field
goal percentage (.521). He will be inducted into the Naismith
Basketball Hall of Fame in 2003. His jersey No. 42 will be
retired by the Lakers. He will be a basketball commentator,
television host, and analyst. On September 28, 2015, he will be
hired to be an assistant coach for the Lakers in the player
development section.

1967 – Antigua & St. Christopher-Nevis-Anguilla become associated
states of the United Kingdom.

1967 – Dominica gains its independence from England.

1988 – Debi Thomas, a world-class figure skater, wins a bronze medal
in the Winter Olympic Games in Calgary. She will be the
first and only African American, until 2002, to win a medal in
the Winter Games.

1992 – Eldrick “Tiger” Woods is the youngest amateur golfer in 35
years to play in a PGA tournament when he tees off at the Los
Angeles Open at the age of 16.

1999 – The Rev. Henry Lyons, president of the National Baptist
Convention USA, is convicted in Largo, Florida, of swindling
millions of dollars from companies seeking to do business with
his followers.

1999 – Nigerians vote to elect Olusegun Obasanjo their new president,
as the country marks the final phase of its return to
democracy.

2013 – Richard Street, former member of the Motown group, “The
Temptations”, joins the ancestors at the age of 70, succumbing
to a pulmonary embolism. He was a member of the group from 1971
to 1993.